1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to an electrical connector assembly for a tractor-trailer and particularly to a tractor-trailer electrical connector assembly that withstands potentially degrading environmental conditions.
2. Description of the Related Art
Electrical connector assemblies known in the art as a seven-way assembly are well known devices that electrically communicate a tractor with a trailer or electrically communicate adjacent trailers for operation of a variety of electrical systems, including brake lights, running lights, turn signal lights, and anti-lock braking systems. Because the tractor-trailer is a modular assembly, wherein the trailer can be viewed as an interchangeable component, all tractor-trailer electrical connector assemblies must have standardized interconnections that adhere to the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) standard J560. While all electrical connector assemblies follow SAE standards, particular electrical connector assemblies can differ from one another in features outside the J560 specification.
Typically, the electrical connector assembly comprises a cable of sheathed electrical wires that terminates on both ends at a plug that is removably received in a socket mounted on the tractor or trailer. The cable can join a tractor with an adjacent trailer or two adjacent trailers. For example, when the cable joins a tractor with an adjacent trailer, each of the tractor and the trailer has a socket, which is coupled to electrical wires in the respective tractor or trailer, and the plugs on the ends of the cable mate with the sockets to electrically couple the tractor to the trailer. Similarly, when the cable joins adjacent trailers, each of the trailers has a socket that removably receives one of the plugs. The socket usually has a plurality of male pins that mate with a plurality of female terminals on the plug. The male pins and the female terminals are typically soldered or welded to the metallic ends of the wires in the sheathed cable, and the wires in the tractor or trailer are likewise connected to the back side of the socket with metal joining processes.
The metallic connections in plugs and sockets, even when the plug and the socket are connected to one another, are exposed to the environment and therefore susceptible to corrosion and other degrading processes. Corrosion of metals occurs in moist environments and can be accelerated in the presence of certain chemicals. Thus, environmental conditions are especially harsh during the winter in areas where salt and other chloride containing chemicals, such as calcium chloride, are applied to the roads. Further, a practice called “pre-wetting” where the chemicals are wet prior to application to the road to increase effectiveness and decrease the tendency for the chemicals to be blown off the road has become common and can exacerbate corrosion problems. The wet chemical mixture can easily spray, such as by the tires of the tractor-trailer, directly onto the electrical connector assembly. Even if the chemicals are left to dry, the solid crystals are very hydroscopic and, therefore, attract moisture to form a wet mixture, which is more corrosive than dry chloride containing chemicals. Thus, it is desirable for a tractor-trailer electrical connector assembly to withstand potentially degrading environmental conditions.